Type-writing machine.



No. 784,380. PATENTED MAR. 7, 1905. A. T. BROWN.

TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED .16,1902.

OCT 3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

|NVNTEJH= WW J/M HIE TTEIHNEY No. 784,380. PATENTED MAR. '7, 1905.

A. '1. BROWN.

TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED 0OT.1B, 1902.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

\MTNEEEEE. INVENTUH.

WW 1-115 ATTURNEY PATENTED MAR. 7, 1905.

T. BROWN. TYPE WRITING MACHINE.

PPL T I .16 1902. A IGA ION ILED OUT I SBHEETS SHEET 3.

- INVENTEJR. LM-ym 1-415 TTEIHNEZY \A/ITNESSEE.

Y mechanism.

Patented March '7, 1905.

PATENT GFETCE.

ALEXANDER T. BROWVN, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

TYPE-WRlTlNG MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 784,380, dated March '7', 1905.

Application filed October 16, 1902- Serial No. 127,542.

To all mil/072* it nuty concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER T. BROWN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Type-\Vriting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to carriage-feed mechanism for type-writing machines.

It has been customary heretofore to interpose gearing between the spring-propelled carriage and the feed-dogs or escapement mechanism proper, so that an actuation of the escapement mechanism will afford a letter space movement of the carriage through the interposed gears. Certain of these devices are open to the objection that backlash or lost motion results from the use of the gear connections between the carriage of the escapement device proper and an improper spacing follows.

()ne of the main objects of my present invention is to overcome the lost motion or backlash in the gear connection and to provide an efficient carriage-feed mechanism wherein an accurate spacing and alinement will be afforded.

To these and other ends, which will hereinafter appear, my invention consists in a novel construction,arrangement,and combination of parts to be hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Reference is had to the accompanying drawins, wherein like reference characters designate like parts in the various views, and wherein Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of one form of type-writing machine embodying my invention, the section being taken from front to rear of the machine. Fig. 2 is an enlarged front elevation of the upper portion of the machine with the frame in section and parts broken away. Fig. 3 is a detail front to rear sectional view of a portion of the escapement Fig. 4 is a horizontal sectional said line.

of the escapement-wheel and certain of the cooperating parts. Fig. 6 is adetail side elevation of the escapement-wheel and the carriage-releasing device.

In the various views parts have been omit ted or broken away to better illustrate other features of the construction.

My present invention is shown applied to a three-q uarter strike or visible writing machine, though obviously the invention, or the various features thereof, may be used either separately or combined in other types of machines.

The frame of the machine may be said to consist of a base 1, the main frame 2, and a top plate 3.

Supported upon the base 1 is a table-like support 4, from which upwardly-extending posts 5 project. These posts are slotted at 6 for the reception of pivots '7 on bell-crank keylevers 8, one arm of each of which projects forwardly and is provided with a linger-key 9, whereas the other arm of each lever extends upwardly and is connected at its upper end 10 to a draw-link 11, that is preferably made of two parts united by a turnbuckle 12. The rear end 13 of each draw-link is connected to a projection 14, that forms part of the heel or hub 15 of a type-bar 16. The hub 15 of each type-bar may be provided with an internal raceway for coii iieration with antifriction-balls 15*, that likewise cooperate with a racewayformed in a projection that extends from each type-bar hanger 17, the latter being secured by screws 18 to a type-bar segment 19, which is united to the frame 2. The forward free ends of the type-bars are supported when in the normal positions by a segmental pad .20, secured to a segmental support 21., that is united at its ends to arms 22, that project forwardly from the type-bar segment 19. Pivoted to these arms, as indicated at 23, are depending arms 24, that are connected at their lower ends to a U-shaped segmental universal bar 25, that contains a pad 26, against which the upright arms of the bell-crank key-levers S are adapted to bear in their forward movements. These arms 24. are each pivotall y connected at 27 to a rearwardly-extending link 28, that is pivotally connected at its rear end to a crank-arm 29, that depends from and is rigidly connected to a rock-shaft 30, which extends from side to side of the machine and is supported upon the coned ends of screwbearings 31, which screws are received in threaded openings in the frame 2. One of the arms 29 is connected at 32 to one end of a coiled spring 33, that has its opposite end seated in an opening or recess in the top plate 2, as indicated at 34, the tension of this spring being exerted to turn the rock-shaft, so as to move or restore the crank-arms 29 toward the rear of the machine.

Secured to the rock-shaft are feed-dogs 35, which are integral with their carrier and are of the general construction shown and described in my Patent No. 616,888, dated January 3, 1899, and cooperate with an escapementwheel 36 in the same general manner as in said patented construction, though it should be understood that for the purpose of the present invention any suitable escapement mechanism may be employed.

The escapement-wheel 36 is rigidly secured to a shaft 37 which is seated at one end in an opening in the forward plate of the frame 2 and at its opposite end is received within an opening in the end of a screw-bearing 38, that is seated in a threaded opening in the rear plate of the frame 2 and is adjustable therein to afford an adjustable bearing for the shaft 37. Surrounding the shaft 37 is a sleeve 39, that has a pinion 40 thereon, and this sleeve is loosely seated on the shaft and has a cylindrical opening 41 therein for the reception of a coiled expansion-spring 42, one end, 43, of said spring bearing against the end wall of the opening in the sleeve 39, whereas the op positc end, 44, bears against a collar 45, that is received on the threaded portion 46 of the shaft and constitutes an abutment for the escapement-wheel '36, a jam-nut 47 being employed to secure the escapement-wheel in place on the shaft 37. The rear end of the sleeve 39 is provided with ratchet-teeth 48, which constitute one member of a two-part clutch, the other member of said clutch being formed by the oppositely-disposed teeth 49 on a sleeve 50,

which isrigidly secured to the shaft 37 by a pin 51, that extends through openings in the shaft and sleeve. A bifurcated or forked end 52 of an arm 53 straddles the sleeve 39, and the forward face thereof is adapted to bear against a side of the pinion 40 on said sleeve. The arm 53 connects with a rearwardly-extending arm 54, which is turned laterally at 55 and has its laterally-projecting portion apertured to receive a fixed guiding-pin 56. This pin 56 is secured to the back plate of the frame 2 by an enlarged threaded portion 57, that forms part of the pin 56 and is received within a threaded opening in the back plate. The forward end of the pin 56 has a reduced portion 58, that extends through an opening in the. arm 53, and the shoulder formed between the main body of the pin 56 and the reduced portion 58 thereof constitutes an abutment for limiting the rearward movement of the parts 53 54 55, which constitute a slide for disconnecting the escapement mechanism from the carriage, as will hereinafter, more clearly appear. The pin 56 has a coiled expansion-spring 59 surrounding it'and secured thereto at one end, 60, the opposite end, 61, of this spring bearing against the laterallybent portion 55 of the slide, so that the spring exerts a tension to force the slide toward the rear of the machine.

Projecting from the slide is a pin 62, which is received within aslot or bifurcation 63 in a 1. ver 64, which is pivoted at 65 to the lefthand end of the frame 2. This lever projects upwardly from its pivot and is bent inwardly at its upper end and extends to the opposite side of the machine, thus forming a bar 66. that is formed at its opposite end into a depending arm 67, which is pivoted to the opposite side of the frame of the machine on the screw-pivot 68. This bar 66 is parallel to the travel of the carriage and when moved toward the rear of the machine in the manner to be hereinafter described will force the slide forwardly, thus moving the sleeve 39, which is loose upon the shaft 37, against the tension of its spring 42. This same movement separates the teeth 48 and 49 of the two clutchsections, thus disconnecting the shaft 37 and the escapement-wheel 36, secured thereto, from the driving or feed pinion 40. The feedpinion 4O meshes with a gear-wheel 69, that is loosely disposed upon a spindle 70, said spindle having a beveled pinion 71 formed integral therewith at its forward end and with a centrally and forwardly disposed bearingstud 72 projecting from the forward face of the beveled pinion. The bearing-stud 72 is received within a bearing-opening in the stud 73, which projects rearwardly from the front plate of the frame 2, as illustrated in Fig. 4. The rear end of the spindle 71 is seated in anaperture in the end of an adjustablescrew 74, that is received in a threaded opening in the back plate of the frame 2, so that an ad justable bearing is provided for the spindle 70. A cylindrical portion 75 on the spindle constitutes a bearing for the gear-wheel 76, that is of the same dimensions as the gear 69 and is adjacent thereto, and the teeth of both gearwheels are adapted to register.

The spindle 7 O is provided with a threaded portion 77, which receives a jam-nut 78, that bears against aflange 79 on the gear-wheel 76 and forces it against a shoulder 80 on the spindle, and thus securely connects the gearwheel 76 to the spindle. The gear'69, on the other hand, is received on the cylindrical bearing 81 of the spindle and is adapted to revolve freely thereon.- Both of the gearwheels 69 and 76 are in constant mesh with a feed-rack 82, which is carried bya paper-car- IIO riage, (indicated at 83.) The paper-carriage carries a platen 8 1 and is provided with rails 85, which are grooved in the outer face thereof to form raceways for the reception of antifriction-balls 86, that are likewise received in the raceways 87, formed in the top plate 3. Screw-bearing pivots 88 are received within threaded openings in the end plates of the carriage 83 and project therethrough and are coned at their inner ends to constitute bearings for a bar 89, that is provided with rackteeth 90 on the forward face thereof and with a depending arm 91, that extends forward of the bar 66. The bar 89 likewise has an upwardly-projecting arm 92 secured to one end thereof and which is turned at right angles to its length to form a linger-piece 93, which projects through an opening in the left-hand end plate of the carriage 83. By pressing the finger-piece 92 toward the front of the machine the bar 89 will be rocked on its pivots, thus moving the lower end of the arm 91 toward the rear of the machine. This will result in deflecting the bar 66 rearwardly, thereby disconnecting the teeth 18 and 19 of the clutch members to effect a release of the carriage from its escapement mechanism.

The bevel-pinion 71, hereinbefore referred to, meshes with a companion bevel drivingpinion 91, that is rigidly secured by a setscrew 95 to a rock-shaft 96, said rock-shaft being seated at one end in a bearing formed in the stud 73, whereas the opposite end of the shaft is received in an opening in the end of a screwbearing 97, which projects through a threaded opening in the left-hand end plate of the frame 2. This rock-shaft 96 likewise has a driven pinion 98 secured thereto, and a toothed segment 99 meshes with this pinion. The toothed segment or segmental rack 99 is pivoted at 100 to a bracket 101, that projects upwardly and forwardly from the front plate of the frame 2, and the pivot 100 of the segment 99 constitutes a rock-shaft which projects through the end plate of the machine and has secured to the outer end thereof a hand-operated arm 102. The segment 99 'is likewise provided with an eccentric crank or cam 103, to which is secured near one end thereof, as indicated at 101, one end of a band 105, the opposite end of this band being connected at 106 to one end of a contractile spring 107, the opposite end of said spring being connected at 108 to an adjustable bracket 109. This bracket is provided with an internallythreaded collar 110, that is received on the threaded portion 111 of a spindle 112, which is seated at its rear end in a fixed bearing 113, and the forward end of the spindle passes through the base 1 of the frame, where it is provided with a screw-driver slit 114, by means of which the spindle may be turned, thus adjusting the collar 110 fore or aft of the spindle 112' to vary the tension of the spring 107.

ment of the carriage in the direction of its feed is normally prevented by the escapement mechanism, which cooperates with the gearwheel 69. Thus the escapement-wheel 36,

being prevented from rotating, will, through the pinion 10 and gear-wheel 69, prevent the rack 82 from moving in the direction of its feed, whereas the tendency of the gear-wheel 76 is to move said rack in the direction of its feed. It therefore follows that the gearwheel 76 and the parts which cooperate therewith constitute means for applying power to move the carriage, whereas the gear-wheel 69 and the parts which cooperate therewith constitute means for resisting the power applied through the other gear-wheel. This being the case, the teeth of the gear-wheel 69 will remain normally lixed, whereas there is a tendency to move the gear-wheel 76 and its teeth in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 2 so that any space which would exist ordinarily between the teeth of the gear-wheels and the rack 82, with which they mesh, will be taken up and no backlash or lost motion can result, and consequently no uneven or irregularspacing in the printed characters can take place. .It will be underslood that this tendency of the toothed gear-wheels to move away from one another circumferentially is present at all times during the printing operation, the carriage being at rest at that time, and that the gearwheels are in constant mesh with their coi'iperating rack 82. The construction and arrangement of the eccentric 103 is such that the leverage thereof increases as the power or tension of the spring diminishes, so that a substantially uniform power will be applied to the carriage during the movement thereof from end to end of the machine.

The hand-operated arm 102, hereinbefore referred to, moves with the segment during the feed movement of the carriage from end to end of the machine. \Vhen the carriage has been moved to the extreme left, the handoperated arm 102 will be in the highest position, and a depression of the arm is effective to move the carriage-to the right, and the position of the arm adjacent to the keyboard of the machine affords a convenient means for restoring the carriage to the right to begin a new line of writing.

In the operation of the machine a lingerkey 9 is depressed, thereby moving the associated type bar to the printing position. This results in swinging the universal bar 25 cause the rock-shaft 30 to be turned through wheel 69 turns with it by reason of the congeared connection with the carriage, a hand-- & 784,380

forward by the contact of the upright arm of l the bell-crank key-lever therewith. The forward movement of the universal bar will the intermediate links 28 and crank-arms 29, and the feed-dogs will be rocked forwardly. When pressure on the finger-key is released, the key-lever and type-bar will be restored to their normal positions by the spring 8 and the feed-dogs and universal bar will be moved toward the rear of the machine by the feeddog spring 33, thereby affording a movement of the escapement-wheel for the distance between two teeth. The letter space movement is transmitted from .the spring 107 to the carriage through the gear-wheel 76 and rack 82 and is transmitted to the escapementwheel through the rack 82, gear 9, pinion 40, clutch sections 39 and 50, and shaft 37. Should the operator desire to return the carriage to the right, it is merely necessary to depress the crank-arm 102.

To release the carriage from the escapement mechanism, it is merely necessary to move the finger-piece 93 toward the front of the machine, thereby disconnecting the clutch-sections 39 and 50 without moving the pinion 40 out of mesh with-the gear 69. This frees the carriage from obstruction or resistance of the escapement mechanism, though the power of the spring 107 is still effective, through the gear 76, to move the carriage, while the gearstant mesh of both gears with the feed-rack 82, and the pinion 40 turns idly on the shaft 37 of the escapement-wheel. When pressure on the finger-piece 93 is released, the springs 33, 59, and 42 will restore the parts to their normal positions and the clutch-sections will be again brought into engagement and the escapement mechanism will afford a resistance against the spring 107 moving the carriage.

Certain features shown and described herein constitute no part of my present invention, but form the subject-matter for separate applications.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire. to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. As a means for affording a feed movement of type-writer carriages, the combination of two gears arranged side by side on the same shaft, and a spring which tends constantly to move one of said gears circumferentially away from the other and thus take up any lost motion between the gears and the parts which cooperate therewith.

. 2. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a carriage, two independent gears in lever having a geared connection to one of said gears, and a spring connected to sald hand-lever and tending constantly to move one of said gears circumferentially away from the other and thus take up any lost motion between the gears and the parts with which they cooperate.

3. In a type-writing machine, the combination of acarriage, two independent gears in geared connection with the carriage, a handlever having a geared connection to one of said gears, and a spring connected to said handlever and tending constantly to move the carriage in the direction of its feed and to move one of said gears circumferentially away from the other and thus take up any lost motion between the gears and the parts with which they cooperate, said spring being likewise eflective to restore the hand-lever as the carriage is moving in the direction of its feed.

4. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a carriage, two gear-wheels in geared connection with said carriage, spring-pressed means which tend constantly to move one of said gears circumferentially away from the other and a finger-piece connected to said spring-pressed means and effective to move the carriage throughout the extent of its travel from left to right.

5. The combination of a carriage, a feedrack carried thereby, two disconnected gearwheels which mesh with said rack, a pinion which meshes with only one of said gearwheels, an escapement-wheel which is operatively connected to said pinion, feed-dogs which cooperate with said escapement-wheel,

a carriage-spring disconnected from the gearwheel with which said pinion meshes and connected to the other of said gear-wheels.

6. The combination of a carriage, a feedrack therefor, gear-wheels which mesh with said rack, an escapement device which normally resists the movement of one of said gearwheels, a driving-pinion connected to the other wheel, a hand-actuated crank operatively connected to said driving-pinion and a spring connected to said crank, and by means of which power is applied to move the carriage.

7 The combination of a carriage, a feedrack carried thereby, disconnected gearwheels which are in constant mesh with said rack, an escapement device which normally resists the movement of one of said gearwheels, a driving-pinion cooperating with the other wheel, an eccentric operatively connected to said driving-pinion, and a spring connected to said eccentric and by means of which power is applied to move the carriage, the relation of the parts being such that the leverage ofthe eccentric is increased as the tension of the spring decreases.

8. The combination of a carriage, a feedrack therefor, gear-wheels which are in constant mesh with said rack, an escapement device which normally resists the movement of one of said gear-wheels, a driving-pinion con- .nected to the other wheel, a shaft upon which with said driven pinion, an eccentric connected to said segment, and a spring connected to said eccentric and by means of which power is applied to move the carriage, the relation of the parts being such that the leverage of the eccentric is increased as the tension of the spring decreases.

9. The combination of a carriage, a feedrack carried thereby, two disconnected gearwheels of the same size mounted side by side and the teeth of which are adapted to register and mesh with said rack, springpropelled means operatively connected to one of said gear-wheels to move the carriage in the direction of its feed, and escapement mechanism operative] y connected to the other gear-wheel.

10. The combination of a carriage, a feedrack therefor, two disconnected gear-wheels of the same size mounted side by side and the teeth of which are adapted to register and are in constant mesh with said rack, a pinion in mesh with one of said gear-wheels and out of mesh with the other, an escapement-wheel operatively connected to said pinion, feed-dogs which cooperate with the escapement-wheel, a spring, and intermediate gear connections between said spring and the gear-wheel which is out of mesh with the pinion.

11. The combination of a carriage, a spring formoving said carriage, a feed-rack for the carriage, two gears in mesh with said rack, an escapement device which is operative] y connected to one of said gear-wheels, a spring and a carriage restoring lever operatively connected with the other gear, and means for releasing the carriage from the escapement device without moving the gears and their gear connections out of mesh.

12. The combination of key-actuated feeddogs, an escapement-wheel with which said dogs cooperate, a clutch-section fixed to the shaft of said escapement-wheel, a second cooperating clutch-section mounted loosely on the escapement-wheel shaft, hand-actuated means for disengaging said clutch-sections, a pinion connected to said loosely mounted clutch-section, a gear-wheel in mesh with said pinion, a carriage feed-rack with which said gear meshes, and a second power-driven gear which meshes with saidfeed-rack.

13. The combination of a carriage, key-actuated feed dogs therefor, an escapementwheel with which said dogs cooperate, a clutchsection fixed to the shaft of said escapementwheel, a second cooperating clutch-section mounted loosely on the escapementwheel shaft, a hand-actuated finger-piece carried by the carriage, means controlled by said fingerpiece for disengaging said clutch-sections, a pinion connected to said loosely mounted clutch-section, a gear-wheel in mesh with said pinion, a feed-rack carried by the carriage and with which said gear meshes, a second gear which meshes with said feed rack, a spring, and intermediate connections between said last-mentioned gear and said spring for transmitting power from the spring to rotate said second gear and move the carriage in the direction of its feed.

14. In atype-wr'itingmachine, the combination of a carriage, a feed-rack therefor, a spring-pressed segment, a gear-wheel meshing with the feed-rack and rotated by said segment to move the carriage in the direction of its feed, a hand-lever connected directly to said segment to return the carriage, a second independently-momble gear-wheel meshing with said rack and an escapemcnt device controlling said second gear-wheel.

15. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a carriage, a feed-rack carried thereby, a toothed segment, an eccentric connected to'said segment, a spring connected to the cocentric and to a relatively fixed part of the machine, a gear-wheel rotated by said segment, and meshing with said feed-rack, a second independently-movable gear-wheel meshing with said rack, an escapement device controlling said second gear-wheel, and hand-operated means for disconnecting the second gear-wheel from the escapemcnt device.

16. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a carriage, a feed-rack carried thereby, a gear which is in constant mesh with said rack, a hand-actuated arm operatively connected to said gear-wheel and adapted to move the carriage throughout itstravel from left to right, and a spring connected to said arm and the power of which is applied to move the carriage in the direction of its feed.

17. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a carriage, a feed-rack carried thereby, two independent gear-wheels in mesh with said rack, an escapement device which controls the movement of one of said gear-wheels, hand-operated means for rotating the other gear-wheel, and a spring connected to said hand-operated means for moving the carriage in the direction of its feed and for restoring said hand-actuated means.

18. In a type-writing machine, the com bination of a power-driven carriage, a feed-rack carried thereby, two independent gear-wheels in mesh with said rack, an cscapcment-wheel, a pinion in constant mesh with one of said gear-wheels and out of mesh with the other, hand-operated clutch mechanism for operatively connecting said pinion with the escapement-wheel, and hand-operated means for rotating the gear-wheel which is out of mesh with the pinion.

19. Inatype-writingmachine, the combination of a power-driven carriage, a feed-rack carried thereby, two independent gear-w heels in mesh with said rack, an escapement-wheel, a pinion in constant mesh with one of said gear-wheels and out of mesh with theother, hand-operated clutch mechanism for operatively connecting said pinion with the escapement-wheel, a pinion fixed to rotate with said gear-Wheel which is out of mesh With the firstmentioned pinion, a shaft, driving and driven pinions carried thereby, the said drivingpinion, meshingwith the fixed pinion, a segmental rack meshing With-the driven pinion, a spring connected to said segmental rack, and a hand-actuated arm connected to said segmental rack and operable to move the carriage from left to right.

20. In a type-Writer or the like a carriage provided with a rack, a carriage-return Wheel engaging said rack, a transverse shaft operatively connected with said Wheel, a pinion on on said shaft, a rocking sector in engagement with said pinion and acarriage-returning key operatively connected with said sector.

21. In a type-Writer or like machine, a carriage-returning key operatively connected With said sector.

Signed at Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga and State of New York, this 2d day of October, A. l). 1902.

ALEXANDER T. BROWN.

WVitnesses:

CHARLES J. TONER, F. G. BODELL. 

